Mulch Questions?

Does anyone have a quick and dirty guide for mulches in vegetable gardens. I have read through the the dozens of threads, but as it often happens, it doesn't cover the exact question I have. I do not really want to use newspapers or straw/hay. I am somewhat of a control/neat freak so I like my gardens looking very kept(maybe this is the wrong attitude to have). Regardless I would love to use a shredded pine bark mulch because it is easy to spread, lays nice, looks nice, and hopefully works well as a mulch. Are there certain types of store bought bagged mulch that one simply should not use, or is it more a preference thing. I am aware that certain types change the PH of the soil, who has my simplified mulch guide??

The problem with bark in a veggie garden is-- How do you get it out of there to plant a crop next time? I use straw or hay and end up having to rake out part of it that hasn't rotted so I can till but just can't imagine the problem trying to rake out bark first. If it's hard enough it's liable to tear up the tiller too.

I use fresh cut, weed free grass clippings. My son has a very nice well fertilized lawn and he brings me all his clippings. I put them on about an two inches thick or more. They compost back into the garden soil and help to add nutrients to it as well. They prevent weeds and help hold moisture as well. They do dry out and kind of look like hay, but I think they make my garden look very well keep.

I guess my picture doesn't show the mulch on yet. I will try and get a better picture posted tomorrow. I am in the process of landscaping my garden and I have used a heavy black plastic that I put down last fall. Then I layed out landscape timbers for the beds. I used cypress mulch on the paths and created intres point for setting areas with river rock. As I said it is a work in progress and it will bw another year before it is finished.

I think alot of people mulch for the nutrients that are added to the soil too. Grass clippings do look nice and add nutrients at the same time. Bark takes a long time to break down but each to his own, right? I've seen pictures of potagers gardens that are very attractive. I think they have bark in the pathways and then regular straw/clippings in the veggie rows.

The problem with bark in a veggie garden is--How do you get it out of there to plant a crop next time?
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What I would try would be a shop vac. I have a 30 gallon or so one from Sears and it will suck up crushed stone so I assume it will suck up pine bark. I think it would be tedious as heck but with a little experimentation I think you could get the bark up without too much soil.

The raised beds with the mulched pathways look very neat indeed to me at least. I also think a covering of nice bright new straw around plants in a veggie garden looks neat. I've never tried with the grass clippings but do use them in my compost bins. I try to get as much organic material *back into* the garden as possible and bark around the plants would make it really difficult. It decomposes way too slowly for me to think it is useful in that way. I do use shredded mulch around my perenial flowers and renew each year but those are plants which I don't mess with moving around very much. Over time the shredded mulch does tend to make your flower bed soils much nicer.

When I lived in NY I used to use coco mulch purchased from the nurseries. It is a by-product of Hershey Chocolate. They are the left overs from the chocolate processing and the shells are tiny and even if they are mixed into the ground do no harm to the soil. They give a rich brown color to the bed plus a heavy chocolate scent. I always used it! Is this available in your area?

Here is a good overview, "Mulch"
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1604.htm

"Mulches for the Home Vegetable Garden"
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-326/426-326.html

"Mulching Vegetables"
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/horticulture/veg-mulch.html

Just remember that cocoa mulch is poisonous to dogs. I would love for my garden to smell like chocolate though.

WOW! I didn't know that? Thank goodness my dogs never bothered with the mulch!

Thanks for all the feedback even though there were many topics on this subject.....sometimes its a little tedious picking through the old articles. So basically, the biggest downfall with shredded hardwood mulch is what to do with it the next year. I only have a 20X10 so it might be quite feasible to just rake it to one end or put it in a wheelbarrow while I till in the new compost in the spring. Lastly, are there any concerns with PH changes from using shredded hardwoods such as pine bark.

This message was edited Jun 9, 2008 9:05 AM